Thursday, January 23, 2014

Review: The Rule of Three

The Rule of Three

The Rule of Three is about what happens after civilization breaks down. Adam is in school one day when the power goes out. Just a power outage, right? Well, no. It turns out that anything relying on computers is out of commission- cell phones, government services, even vehicles. The only cars than run are those without computers. It soon becomes clear that the power is not coming back on anytime soon- and the fight for survival begins.

This book made me think about what would truly happen if something like this were to occur. Is it likely? No, but something on a smaller but still catastrophic scale is certainly possible, and this makes the book so thought provoking. Anyone who has ever wondered what would happen if the power went out- and stayed out- will find this book fascinating. Would society break down? How long would it take? And what could be done to survive? Adam has two advantages- his mother is a police chief, and his next door neighbor is a retired spy. The two of them organize the neighborhood and begin to build defenses and gather resources.  The results are mostly believable and, again, thought provoking.

The neighborhood soon becomes a fortress of sorts, as they gather what they can and protect themselves from marauders. They face thorny questions, such as whether to admit other families who are in need, given that they only have finite resources- food, water, fuel. Where do you draw the line? This was the most interesting part of the book for me as it makes you what you would do in that situation.

There is a romance in the story. Lori lives on a nearby farm and Adam has had his eye on her for a while, but has been afraid to ask her out. They are brought together when Lori's family is brought into the neighborhood for their protection. The romance is cute and innocent, although I would have preferred to see Lori play a little more role in the story. The story itself kept my interest, although it did drag just a little in the middle. I kept waiting for the conflict that I knew was coming- but it never really arrived until the very end, and that was a bit disappointing. The bulk of the story is basically preparation, and while it was fairly realistic I could have used a little more action.

My biggest issue with the book is the abrupt ending. I mean, really abrupt. I waited until the very end for the action to really pick up- it does, but then there is no aftermath at all. Is there a sequel in the works? I don't know, I would be interested in reading it if there is one, but this could easily be a standalone too and that's fine. A better ending is needed though, in my opinion. Way too abrupt. Otherwise it's a fine read and it got me thinking. Solid but unspectacular.

10 comments:

  1. Hello Greg, I love those kind of stories - so definitely one to put on my 'have to read' pile.Not some strange alien thingy, but power outage we can all imagine can't we. I like unusual endings, open endings, but what is not nice is almost no proper ending. I mean, surprising endings are fine, but some books almost have no ending where you get all 'hyped up' and than turn the last page and … that was it.

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    1. That's kind of how this was for me- just very abrupt. Something happens, they deal with it, the end. I was just looking for a little more. It almost felt like a set up for a sequel, but I haven't seen one announced. I'll have to check. This was a good story though, and if you like this kind of thing I definetly recommend it.

      Thank you for stopping by! I really appreciate it.

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  2. I am sorry to hear that the book ended in an unsatisfactory way. This book reminds me a bit of the show Revolution.

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    1. Yeah, I didn't like the ending but I liked the MC and it was good. Just needed more action. I'ver never seen Revolution but heard of it, yes very similar premise!

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  3. I haven't seen Revolution either, but that was the first thing I thought of when I read the premise of this book. It sounds like the author handled the body of the book well, but I'm sorry the ending felt so abrupt. That always bothers me. But perhaps there is a sequel in the offing.

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    1. I hope so. I really liked the main character, and his girlfriend Lori too. they have a lot of potential, especially with so much around them. It's a good book, with a lot of promise.

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  4. This sounds like a good book except for the ending. :-( I hope there will be a sequel. I watched a few episodes of Revolution. It was okay, but I thought the plot was contrived. This book also reminds me of a book I read a few years ago about the moon suddenly moving closer to the Earth and the catastrophe that causes. That book was pretty good and there was a sequel, but I haven't read it.

    Anyway, this sounds good and I enjoyed your review. I might wait to read it though to see if a second book is coming out.

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    1. Thanks Jan for coming by. It was a good book, i wanted a little more wrap up is all. If thee is a sequel I would definetly read it, Adam and Lori were interesting enough I would want to see more of them. :)

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  5. I just posted my review of this one. I feel pretty much the way you do about the ending. The romance was so subtle in this book, I felt like it just made a dent. The bulk of it was Adam's rise of importance and status in his community and the message that young people have much to contribute. I just loved Herb's character!

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    1. Herb was great, and good thing they had him! They would have been in trouble otherwise. I liked adam and Lori a lot, great couple, would like to see more of them.

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